Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan

Photo: UNMISS

The United Nations has long engaged in efforts to bring peace and stability to Sudan, which has been marked by decades of political instability and armed conflicts.

Following the independence of South Sudan in July 2011, the Secretary General appointed a Special Envoy for the Sudan and South Sudan to continue to play a good offices role on behalf of the Secretary-General to support the establishment and maintenance of good and peaceful neighbourly relations between Sudan and South Sudan. Since its establishment, the Special Envoy has worked closely together with and in support of the efforts by the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) in assisting the parties to reach a negotiated settlement to residual Comprehensive Peace Agreement and post-secession issues.

A key step in this process has been the signing by Sudan and South Sudan on 27 September 2012 of nine cooperation framework agreements, including agreements on oil, security, nationals, post service benefits, trade, banking, border issues, and economic matters. Since the outbreak of violence in South Sudan in December 2013, the Special Envoy also supported efforts by the region to resolve the crisis in South Sudan, which led to the signing by the belligerent parties of the "Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan". Furthermore, under the leadership of the AUHIP, the Special Envoy has engaged Sudanese stakeholders in efforts to promote the holding of an inclusive and credible National Dialogue in Sudan, and has supported talks on a cessation of hostilities in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States.